The only multi-day trip we had planned was a 34 mile float down the Selway River from Shearer Airstrip to Race Creek. The Selway is one of the most coveted rivers in the U.S. owing largely to its highly restrictive permit system: only 50 launches are granted a year. However if flows cooperate it is possible some years to do a post-permit (low flow) run. Here we ran two days after the permit season ended at a flow of about 850 cfs. The Selway River cuts through Idaho's Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, one of the largest and first designated wilderness areas in the U.S. With Jeff in charge of planning I had no idea what to expect. In low flow conditions the first 14 miles from Paradise are supposed to be pretty grim and uninteresting, which is why we arranged to have a chartered plane drop us off at Shearer Airstrip at Mile 13.5. Once I got the first glimpse of how shallow the river was here I knew we made the right choice to fly in. We knew that in the last couple weeks there were fires burning through the area but the reports we heard is that they were mostly out and should not be actively burning along the river. We pulled into the Hamilton Airport hazy and early and our friendly pilot flew us over the smoky continental divide into Idaho.
We unloaded, carried our gear to the river, and began to inflate our packrafts. We found the temperature inexplicably cold here and so waited for the sun to crest the ridge before pushing off into the shallow river. My expectations were pretty low considering the shallow bump-and-grind cobble floor of the river but I knew there were supposed to be challenging rapids somewhere downstream. After the second turn in the river we were visually bombarded by the private Selway Lodge and an enormous bridge over the river as if to say "welcome to an American wilderness area, playground of the rich." I had to check this view somewhat as we did just arrive via an airplane and airstrip, but nevertheless it made me miss the strict definition of a wilderness area that New Zealand uses.
The next several miles the river was almost unlike anything I had every seen. The bedrock had been neatly planed off with virtually no bedload such that we coasted shallowly over crystal clear water and patterned bedrock. I could take or leave the tree-d valley walls around us but the river bottom was a wonderful work of art and left me curious what conditions contributed to what seems to be a pretty rare occurrence.
It did not take all that long for the day to heat up to a comfortable temperature and round about the same time we found an enormous rock outcrop that appeared to be made for cliff jumping. Challenge accepted nature. Though probably only about 30-35 feet high, the calm water landing and the long time since I had last jumped did give me some pause as I stared down from the top of the rock. After I jumped Dan and Jeff followed suit.
As we neared Moose Creek the skies became smoky, and we even saw an occasional smoldering log from the aftermath of the recent fire. A few downed trees obstructed the river enough that they would be annoying for a full sized raft but added slight interest for us. Just past Moose Creek the gradient steepens and a bedrock gorge with 8 III-IV rapids (and many others) continues for almost seven miles. This was the main event and though I would like to say we savored it, it all went by very fast. We scouted one or two of these rapids but read-and run everything else. Higher flow would have been interesting. At our current flow things were mildly interesting.
The most memorable part of the "Moose Juice Gorge" was Dan's flip about two-thirds of the way through. He got pinned against a rock briefly but in such a way that his paddle was wedged into a tongue of the rapid. About thirty to forty-five minutes of creative antics ensued, desperately trying to free the paddle. I grazed it several times but only succeeded in slicing my arm on it. After trying about five different approaches, Jeff had the winning approach of lunging for it while Jesse and I held him back from being dejected by the force of the water. What a relief to have the paddle back in hand and still in one piece!
After our whitewater fun we had planned to camp at Cedar Flats but found another kayak group there (the one other party we would see) and so opted to power through for another 2 miles to the next camp at Meeker Creek. As we approached the last turn in the canyon before Meeker we had quite the surprise- the smell of campfires, the sight of close smoke plumes rising up the hill in front of us, and as we got closer, raging flames. Others may have panicked about campsite options as we approached the fire but we were mesmerized by the flames. Trees bursting into flames, rocks crashing down the steep hillsides, riverside vegetation roaring with intense heat. As we drifted past and evaluated the situation we all decided that the fire was on the opposite of the river as our planned camp and thus would probably be safe. Plus we'd have one heck of a show this evening. So we found Meeker Camp (small but suitable) and set up camp.
Once out of our wetsuits and into dry clothes we gathered our dinner supplies and walked about a 100m along the shore to a rocky promontory with a spectacular view of the fire. We ate dinner slowly, marveling at the ever-changing action on the other side. We watched for hours. I felt like I gained a new appreciation for forest fires and the geomorphic changes they drive. I was truly impressed at the size and volume of boulders crashing down the hillside to form mega-dry ravel deposits. Every once in a while a tree would abruptly burst into flames or collapse to the ground, kicking up aggressive flames. I set up my hammock for extra enjoyment.
In the morning we awoke to ash covering our gear, smoke in the air, and an atmospheric sky. While packing up at camp I could not resist the temptation to answer a burning question Jeff and I had about the Gnarwhal...yes it turns out I can fit inside the 12" Gnarwhal tubes, good to know.
The stretch of water we encountered in the morning was mostly flat but gradually picked up steam. We started to see more beaches. It was also clear that this stretch of the river has almost completely burned at various times in the last many years. Although we appreciated the atmospheric skies, I also appreciated that the further downstream we went the less smoky it got.
Wolf Creek Rapid turned out to be one of the more exciting rapids on the entire run. This is the only rapid we ended up scouting from a trail high above the rapid, which gave a nice change of vantage. Jeff and I staged ourselves partway through the rapid to be ready to protect the large retentive hole. Jesse and Dan both made it past so Jeff and I each had our turn boofing the hole. I had expected and hoped there would be more longer, more challenging rapids like this on the run.
A few more rapids followed but we had increasingly long flatwater stretches to paddle through. We stopped for a good forty-five minutes at Jim's Creek Falls Rapid which had several interesting ways it could be run and was particularly easy to hike the boat back up to run laps. I ran this rapid at least a half dozen different times. The most entertaining line was boofing off a ski jump-like boulder into the main convergence of the rapid. We all had fun.
Interestingly over the last thirty miles the river from bedrock to boulder banks to cobble banks to sand banks. The first sign that we were close to the end was the quality of the trail on the side of the river seeming to greatly improve, then we saw people at the campground, then happily our car at Race Creek. The trip was nice enough but the wildfire campground was probably the most memorable part of the trip. Although the river would be a different beast at high flow, I still had expected the rapids to be more challenging, the scenery more scenic, and the wilderness well actually to be wilderness. Unlike some other rivers the Selway is nothing I feel like I have to go back to run at a higher flow. It was good enough.
Jeff's footage
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